ZYRTEC Reviews (CETIRIZINE HYDROCHLORIDE)Average Rating: 2.0 (1816 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare ZYRTEC with similar:
Type: Over-the-counter Drug
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Results are sorted by Age from youngest to oldest (reviews with no age reported listed first). Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 |
More on ZYRTEC: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR ZYRTEC | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 1 | seasonal allergies | Children's dye, sugar and alcohol free bubblegum flavored liquid: within 30 minutes of giving this to my 3 1/2 year old, she became angry, unreasonable and violent. She didn't sleep well for several days and the behavior changes lasted 2 days after just one dose. Oh, and several hours after taking it (just 1/2 tsp one time), she was digging on her leg with a sharpish stick, like she was trying to cut herself, but didn't have access to anything sharp enough. I will never use this medication again! | F | 3 | 1 days 1/2 tsp ch 1X day | 4/19/2014 | 1 | seasonal allergies | Children's dye, sugar and alcohol free bubblegum flavored liquid: within 30 minutes of giving this to my 3 1/2 year old, she became angry, unreasonable and violent. She didn't sleep well for several days and the behavior changes lasted 2 days after just one dose. Oh, and several hours after taking it (just 1/2 tsp one time), she was digging on her leg with a sharpish stick, like she was trying to cut herself, but didn't have access to anything sharp enough. I will never use this medication again! | F | 3 | 1 days 1/2 tsp ch 1X day | 4/19/2014 | 1 | Hay Fever | My 3 1/2 year old who is normally full of energy and loves to joke and laugh has been taking this for the last 2 weeks because of hay fever symptoms. Since taking it his energy levels have decreased and he has started having tantrums. He is clingy and very emotional. He has been totally out of character since he has been taking the medicine. Alot of people have told me it is probably his age but I know (call it mothers intuition) that something else is causing this. Finally it clicked one night that it all started at the same time as he started taking Zyrtec. After researching it on the internet I'm finding about 9 out 10 people are having or have had this experience. | I'm stopping this medicaton immediately and looking forward to my little man being himself again!! | M | 3 | 14 days 2.5Mil 1X day | 10/28/2013 | 1 | asthma/allergies (dust, mold, etc.) | uncontrolable behavior, angry outbursts, hitting, biting, extreme mood swings | My son has been taking Zyrtec and Singulair for about a 1 1/2 years and Claritin before that. He was such a good baby, very laid back and happy. We discovered his exstensive allergies after his first birthday. That's about the time we started meds. I never made the connection with his wild behavior until reading these postings. I feel so guilty for thinking he was a bad child when he couldn't control it. We are stopping the Zyrtec and are going to try Allegra. I can't believe none of his doctors ever made the connection! | M | 3 | 1.5 years | 12/2/2009 | 1 | SON 2-3 yr old for allergies multip | Irratable Violent mood swings anxiety stubborn. Horrible side effects | please if your child is small. MONITOR THERE BEHAVIOR WHEN ON NEW MEDS. | M | 3 | 6 months | 12/5/2009 | 1 | HIVES/ALLERGIES | My son has been taking this for 2 yrs. and yesterday I decided to research the side effects and I came to this website and I was reading all the different reports I was frozen like a turkey. My son is super hyperactive, has leg cramps, nervouseness, is getting white stops in his face many symptoms that other users said they had. Omg! I've gone to bed crying so many nights and wondering what I was doing wrong. Only a few people really now my son and understand me, now I wonder if it's the medicine, he was only 1yr when he started to take it and from dawn to dusk he is a wild child :( My husband & I decided to stop giving him Zyrtex and it's been 1 day so far and hope and pray that it was that but at the same time I hope that the medicine did not do more harm. Now I'm just watching him closely for any changes. I will post at a later time the outcome. I just pray it's for the best and that my little guy gets better and undercontrol. I love Him so much :) | I give it a 5 because since he's been taking it, the Hives have not come back. But I give it a 1 if it's the cause for his abnormal behavior that we had to live with for 2 yrs. | M | 3 | 2 years | 11/6/2009 | 1 | Allergies | My son became very irritable, physically aggresive and angry while taking this. | M | 3 | 4 days 5 | 6/18/2020 | 1 | Allergies | My son has taken Zyrtec for 4 days and I couldn't figure out why he has been so irritable and emotional for the last few days!I had a weird feeling it was the Zyrtec and now I'm sure of it. | M | 3 | 3 days 1X day | 7/13/2022 | 1 | Seasonal allergies | My son was experiencing seasonal allergies and rashes due to moving into a rental that previously had cats and dogs. After many sleepless nights of scratching himself to the point of bleeding, I took him to an allergist who recommended 5 mg of Zyrtec each day. I had him taking 1/2 of the dissolvable tablets with no noticeable side effects. A few days ago I switched to the liquid and he's been an emotional wreck. He's unable to cope with any changes or upsets. He has thrown several tantrums that last for an hour or mor, and he also started waking up in the middle of the night screaming from nightmares. My husband suggested it may be the Zyrtec and low and behold, I find this thread. I will never use Zyrtec or any other allergy medication after reading the experiences on this site. Thank you for all of your helpful stories. | M | 3.5 | 1 months 5mg | 7/29/2015 | 1 | seasonal allergies | tantrums, angry, aggressive, noncompliant, mean | This made my 3 and a half year old son mean, angry, aggressive and frustrated. He didn't want to go to school. He was hitting me and his sister. He was not himself. I didn't recognize him. Thank God I found these posts and stopped this drug after week. I would like this to be listed as an official side effect with FDA. If anyone knows how to go about petitioning that side effects be added please contact me. This drug took a big toll on my relationship with my son and I am upset I was not warned of its effects. | M | 3.5 | 1 weeks 2.5 1X day | 11/9/2017 | 1 | indoor allergies | I'm so thankful for finding this web site. Our 3.5 year old son has been a different child while taking this medication. I came here today in the off chance that the liquid form of zyrtec might be responsible...... I am relieved and sad to know so many other children have had the same side affects. He is very angry, won't eat, disrespectful and sleeps fitfully. He is off this stuff today! | M | 3.5 | 3 months | 3/6/2009 | 1 | Allergies | 3.5 yr old son behavior changes (moody, aggressive, sleepless nights, hyper-active, emotional, lack of attention/focus, defiant) | 3.5 yr old son was taking for allergies and post-nasal drainage. It helped well with the allergies and drainage. We didn't realize there was anything wrong, we thought a lot of the behavior issues and defiance was his age. We noticed the biggest change after he started Pre-K this past fall. We started getting more and more reports from his teachers of his uncontrollable activity and behaviors as well of his lack of attention. They requested that we speake with the Pediatrician regarding possible ADHD. The problem was, I wasn't seeing it at home much. He took it at night before bed (every night since it was recommended). I am thinking that he was the worst at school because by the time he was home the side-effects were starting to wear off and they were the strongest in the morning. After evaluations were done with the teachers and my family, the doctor agreed it wasn't ADHD. But looking back, after about 1-2 weeks of being on it Zyrtec our sitter stated she noticed his behavior changing and it had gotten progressively worse. For her, he bit a child...that is out of character for him, was hyper active, wouldn't nap, sassy, defiant, ignored her, etc. At school he got to where he was poking other kids, kicked his teacher, hyper, defiant, wouldn't focus, etc). We took him off the Zyrtec and he began changing within the first 2 days he started being more in control, more obedient, less hyper, more sincere and loving. He is slowly getting better each day. Stopped use. | M | 3.5 | 11 months 1/2 tsp 1X day | 3/11/2010 | 1 | allergies | WE gave Zyrtec to our 3 1/2 year-old daughter at her pediatrician's recommendation as she was continuing to have allergy symptoms on Claritin and frequent ear infections. She had an immediate personality change. Moody, defiant, temper tantrums, uncontrollable rages, sleep disturbances, wanted to be held and rocked constantly, wouldn't/couldn't play. Over a few weeks the symptoms improved somewhat, until we missed one morning dose and we were right back to square one with the significant behavior issues. She also has lost two pounds this month due to lack of appetite. We were trying to keep her on it until the fall allergies abated, but this cannot go on any longer. We have put her back on Claritin and will give her benadryl at night if needed to control the symptoms. After two days we are starting to see our sweet angel again. The change in personality in this child was beyond belief, down-right scary. | F | 3.5 | 1 months 2.5 mg 2X day | 9/14/2010 | 1 | allergies | Child became irritable and irrational after 5 months of taking this awful drug. I barely even recognized him. After reading all of the comments on this website, I am unbelievably upset!! Why are doctors still even prescribing this to children???? I'm throwing this terrible stuff away....and going a more homeopathic route. | Doctors- STOP PRESCRIBING THIS TO INNOCENT CHILDREN!!! | M | 3.5 | 5 months 5 1X day | 7/20/2011 | 1 | seasonal allergies | tantrums, angry, aggressive, noncompliant, mean | This made my 3 and a half year old son mean, angry, aggressive and frustrated. He didn't want to go to school. He was hitting me and his sister. He was not himself. I didn't recognize him. Thank God I found these posts and stopped this drug after week. I would like this to be listed as an official side effect with FDA. If anyone knows how to go about petitioning that side effects be added please contact me. This drug took a big toll on my relationship with my son and I am upset I was not warned of its effects. | M | 3.5 | 1 weeks 2.5 1X day | 11/9/2017 | 1 | allergies | dry skin, uncontrollable, angry behavior | We put my son on Zyrtec this spring for allergies and his allergies seemed much better but he did start to have more behavioral issues. I didn't make the connection to Zyrtec until we had to take him off it for a week to have allergy testing done. When we put him back on it again, he was absolutely a monster to deal with, culminating with him slugging a child several times at school (this from a boy who has no access to tv, movies, and doesn't even know what a gun is). I was so releived to find this website and realize that it might be the medicine and so angry that my pediatrician never warned me about these side effects, which they only admitted to when I called to ask. | M | 3.5 | 4 months | 8/2/2005 | 5 | pet and seasonal allergies | slightly dry mouth and groggy in the morning. Side effects were mild and not bad enough to stop the medicine. | My son is alot more comfortable sice he has been taking it. It has not effected his personality or concentration al all. | M | 4 | 2 years | 5/19/2005 | 3 | Seasonal Allergies | Helped with seasonal allergies but terrible behavior problems as a result. Like so many parents on this site, we never put 2 and 2 together. His teacher pulled me aside today for the 2nd time in 2 weeks to discuss increasing behavior problems and even aggressive behavior. We all think our kids are the best but this one really is a kind natured kid, NEVER before have I been told he is hitting other kids. The teacher felt like he just can’t help himself and was concerned. This site has totally freaked me out. I feel terrible, all the discipline and frustration and it’s a side affect. Increased appetite is something we saw a long time ago. I’m VERY disappointed with the doctors for not having us be on the lookout for this. | Pick your poison, allergy symptoms or behavioral problems. STAY AWAY from this drug, seek alternatives and monitor changes of any kind. | M | 4 | 60 days | 5/10/2007 | 3 | Food allergy | I gave my 4.5yr old one dose of this due to possible nut exposure. It was horrible what happened. She became very angry and cried uncontrollably. Had the worst temper tantrum ever. I feel awful for giving it to her and never will again. | F | 4 | 1 days | 5/24/2009 | 3 | Seasonal Allergies/ Skin issues | Our 4 year old son has been on and off Zyrtec for two years. We are just now connecting behavior, mood, and aggression to Zyrtec. We thought that his behavior was due to being 3 (an age we have found to be very difficult in boys). Our son has had sleep issues since he has been out of a crib and severe behavioral issues for the last year and a half. I have actually talked to the Pediatrician about his behavior and have even considered looking into therapy. Our son has been extremely tough to deal with, very strong-willed, emotional, and aggressive at times. We recently took him off Zyrtec for three weeks and noticed a definite change in behavior. Our "melancholy" kid was happy, fun, goofy, social, and a joy to be around. We didn't connect the Zyrtec and put him back on it after a visit with the Allergist. He has been on the full teaspoon for 2 weeks now and we have had rages, crying, out-of-control behavior. He will no longer be taking Zyrtec after tonight. He does | Don't put your kids on it! It's not worth it!!! | M | 4 | 2 years | 10/18/2009 |